AMTRAK’S YEAR AHEAD: Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman has a few simple requests for Congress: Figure out what you want us to do with long-distance train service — and don’t forget how we got here in the first place. With its authorization set to expire this fall, the passenger rail network will have a busy 2013, including completing the installation of PTC safety technology on the Northeast Corridor and upgrading on-train Internet systems. But the biggest action will happen on the Hill as Congress writes a new Amtrak bill. With constant thorn-in-his-side John Mica gone as the T&I chairman, Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman is actually looking forward to his trips to 2167 Rayburn.

Just tell us what you want: “I hope I get called up there to start talking about that because I think that it’s something that’s important for us to move forward,” Boardman said of a new Amtrak bill. “What we really want to know is: What does Congress want from us, especially with long-distance trains, where we think the policy discussion really needs to be able to focus,” he told reporters. “I think that Congress really doesn’t understand, many times, what it is they did in 1971 when they created Amtrak. That was long before we had the Northeast Corridor. I think they need to revisit that and look at what they want to do there.” Pros get more from Adam: http://politico.pro/UYYLim

On time: Boardman warned at the start of the conference call that he had a train to catch 30 minutes later. But the call didn’t take as long as expected, which sure made Boardman happy. “Hey, must be a good day. I can catch the train on time,” he said after things wrapped early.

FAA ANNOUNCEMENT COMING TODAY? Bloomberg is reporting that the FAA will announce a federal investigation into the Boeing 787 fire this morning. The NTSB has said the auxiliary power unit battery suffered “severe fire damage.” Bloomberg says FAA will look specifically into the Dreamliner’s power system. http://bloom.bg/WUiRrF

MONDAY SANDY SHOWDOWN: The House Rules Committee will meet at 5 p.m. Monday on the Sandy relief legislative package that contains billions in transportation funding for New York and New Jersey. But Rep. Mick Mulvaney is trying to throw a wrench in leadership’s quest to satisfy Northeast Republicans on quick aid — including billions for transit and road repairs. The South Carolina Republican is leading the spending offsets charge for the House GOP, teaming with other House GOP-ers to offer a pair of amendments seeking spending cuts as part of the Sandy aid package. One measure ( http://1.usa.gov/UDxSxP) from Mulvaney would offset $17 billion in emergency funding with an across-the-board cut of 1.6 percent to discretionary spending in 2013. Another ( http://1.usa.gov/VVXCG1) would kill transit subsidies for federal employees, eliminate the Agriculture Direct Payment Program and prohibit “further obligations from TARP.”

Offset votes coming: Some Republicans think the package could now be in trouble, so leadership plans to use some legislative jujitsu to pass the Sandy bill. Top Republican aides say they are likely to allow amendments to the Sandy spending bill that would call for offsets or spending reductions — like those from Mulvaney — to a package expected to total around $50 billion. There may be more offset amendments on the way. The deadline for submissions is Friday afternoon, and potential alterations to the bill only began showing up late Thursday. The Rules panel meets Monday to decide whether Mulvaney’s provisions will be ruled in order to receive a vote by the full House. Burgess and Jake Sherman fill you in on the burgeoning drama: http://politi.co/UP3xhg

OLIVE BRANCH TO CONGRESS: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood took to his blog yesterday to say he looks forward to working with the new Congress on transportation. The “will-he-or-won’t he step down” secretary applauded the last Congress for passing a new transportation law but said that “there is still much to do” on the Hill. The post is not going to do anything to tamp down speculation that LaHood may be staying for a bit longer than previously expected. Read it yourself: http://1.usa.gov/TNaqku

POLITICO Influence theft: Olivia Alair, LaHood's former press secretary (and more recently campaign press secretary for Michelle Obama), is moving to SKDKnickerbocker. The move reunites an old transportation duo: She joins Jill Zuckman, LaHood’s former public affairs director, who has taken the lead on Building America’s Future’s messaging.

TIFIA TIME: The Los Angeles Metro and Seattle-area Sound Transit have submitted applications for direct loans for projects worth a combined $8 billion, according to a newly updated list of letters of application to DOT’s newly expanded TIFIA program. The L.A Metro is requesting funding assistance for the Westside Subway and the Regional Connector that would transform service downtown, while Sound Transit is eyeing help with its new East Link light rail project. Each of those projects is worth about $4 billion. Two other projects also submitted letters of interest: the $651 million Southern Beltway project in southwest Pennsylvania and a $500 million project on U.S. Route 301 in Delaware. Twenty-seven projects worth a total of $38 billion have now put in for money from the program, which was expanded to $750 million this year.

BIDEN’S MIC DROP: To kick off his anti-gun violence campaign, VP Joe Biden took a page from history, suggesting that loosening the reins on federal data collection on guns could yield results similar to what he said happened in the 1970s with auto regulation. As part of his remarks, Biden accused the auto industry at that time of trying to stymie the feds from collecting accident data, and he said once the data floodgates were loosed it resulted in safety standards like airbags. Kathryn has the story: http://politico.pro/VnZk6n

Back and forth: But Wade Newton of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers disputed Biden's claim that the auto industry has tried to quash data collection. “You can look back in the history books and see that we've supported using data to enhance safety,” Newton said. Joan Claybrook, a former NHTSA administrator and past president of Public Citizen, said the auto industry only likes some kinds of data: “What they want is raw data, they don't want any evaluation by NHTSA.”

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EAGLE EYE: Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who chairs the Senate Commerce subcommittee in charge of marine safety, has a gimlet eye on the ongoing investigation into a New Jersey-to-NYC commuter ferry crash that injured 57 people on Wednesday. The accident, which happened as the vessel was trying to dock, harkens back to a 2010 Staten Island ferry crash that injured 40. Lautenberg spox Caley Grey said the senator is "taking a close look" at the incident and will "keep all options on the table."

With another on the competition: Newark Mayor Cory Booker leads Lautenberg in polling over a potential 2014 match-up, our colleague Kevin Robillard writes ( http://politi.co/WvDTwf). MT reached out to someone who knows Lautenberg, a prominent transportation lawmaker, on whether Booker might scare Lautenberg into a second retirement. The answer: “He's not the type.”

COLLATERAL DAMAGE: The Sun ( http://bsun.md/10gkIyA) points out that Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s plan to kill his state’s gas tax does not come in a vacuum. It’s going to affect the other side of the Potomac, where longtime rival Martin O’Malley is trying to come up with his own plan to bring in new infrastructure revenues. It’s not just Maryland: Every state that borders Virginia already has a higher gas tax, which will only be exacerbated should Virginia kill its state fuel tax. In all the border states but Tennessee (whose rate is similarly low), Virginia’s gas could end up being around 30 cents per gallon cheaper — which would make border hopping for gas more and more desirable. Here’s a map of state gas taxes, as of three months ago, per API: http://bit.ly/RU71Qb

Options: According to the Examiner, O’Malley is mulling indexing the gas tax to inflation or again taking a stab at applying the sales tax to gasoline. http://bit.ly/UO6MWm

Why it matters: In addition to leading states where many of our readers make their homes, both governors are believed to have national ambitions. Whatever happens at the state transportation level will likely serve as a guide to potential future runs for office. And how serious is McDonnell with his plan? Very. He told legislators: “Do not send me a budget that does not include new transportation funding.”

FAMILIAR PUSH: Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue emphasized the organization’s ongoing commitment to rebuilding America's infrastructure in his annual State of American Business speech yesterday. “If we don’t expand our infrastructure and make it more efficient and seamless, we can’t grow our economy,” he said, highlighting a need this year to streamline the building permit process and embolden American trade. Asked about a long-term funding solution for America's highways, he pointed to those who travel on them: "You are going to need more money for it and it ought to be paid for by the users."

SPLITTING THE MANUAL: DOT is looking at splitting the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices — a wonky tome that lays out standards for traffic lights, signs and pavement markings — into two parts. One would include issues subject to the sometimes-lengthy DOT rulemaking process, while the other half would include “supplemental information” not subject to a rulemaking. Stakeholders and the public have 60 days to comment on the change. There’s much more in the docket that appears in today’s Federal Register: http://bit.ly/SmjvSY

METRO FORECAST: It’s going to be lovely out this weekend, so be prepared to bus it to Arlington National Cemetery should you have a visit planned. Buses replace trains on the Blue Line between Rosslyn and Pentagon. There’s also some single-tracking at the top of the Green Line and two single-tracking zones on the Red. Full deets: http://bit.ly/XOa00B

Street forecast: A dry run for the inaugural parade closes a number of downtown streets on Sunday. WaPo: http://wapo.st/13ky0J5

Fare forecast: The Examiner ( http://bit.ly/VWlZU7) reports that this year’s budget will rely on more subsidies from the localities of the DMV area. The $1.65 billion budget also gets $150M from the feds; the sequester punted a few weeks ahead would slice that contribution.

MAILBAG — Port strike: A group of more than 100 supply chain stakeholders wrote to the International Longshoremen's Association and U.S. Maritime Alliance yesterday asking them to negotiate quickly ahead of a Feb. 6 deadline for the two groups to reach a new contract. Read the letter: http://bit.ly/11jm8Ys

Connected cars: The Intelligent Transportation Society of America is worried about NTIA’s spectrum sharing initiative and how it could harm connected vehicle technology that DOT says could affect 80 percent of crashes with unimpaired drivers. Read the letter from ITSA President/CEO Scott Belcher: http://bit.ly/VnWwWT

Port of entries: Lots of industry groups — including A4A, ATA, BNSF and the Chamber of Commerce — signed off on a letter to OMB asking that the upcoming budget “emphasize the importance of adequate funding to ensure appropriate U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staffing at U.S. ports of entry.” Read it: http://bit.ly/WFyFxL

MT POLL — Last-minute surprises: There were a few big last-minute stories that capped off the crazy year for transpo that was 2012. We’re curious what was most surprising to you, MT readers. Was it the boost in transit benefits in the cliff deal or Michael Huerta finally being confirmed as FAA head? Maybe it was the House pulling the Sandy supplemental or John Thune’s moving up to the top GOP spot on Commerce after Jim DeMint resigned. Vote or offer you own suggestion before Sunday at noon: http://bit.ly/TTZkZG

THE COUNTDOWN: DOT funding runs out and the new sequestration deadline is in 76 days. Passenger rail policy runs out in 263 days, surface transportation policy in 631 days and FAA policy in 993 days. The mid-term elections are in 662 days.

CABOOSE — Daily Show takes on transpo: Comedy Central correspondent Al Madrigal traveled to Detroit to investigate just exactly why so many in the community did not want a free bridge to Canada to compete with Matty Maroun’s Ambassador Bridge. At points, it’s tough to tell when Madrigal is in character and when he is just simply perplexed at citizens supporting Maroun’s monopoly. Definitely worth a watch on a Friday morning: http://bit.ly/11jC7ph

** A message from Hitachi: Hitachi is in the Social Innovation Business: contributing to society through the development of superior, original technology — for over 100 years. And today, these innovations affect countless aspects of our daily lives. See how at http://Hitachi.us/innovation/ **

** A message from the U.S. Travel Association: To make America competitive again, we need to be connected, to each other and the world. America has zero airports ranked in the top 25 globally, and that's more than just an embarrassment—it's a missed opportunity. Travel is critical to our country's trade balance, since it accounts for ten percent of all exports, and supports one in nine American jobs. If we're not connected through modern airports, America loses out. Investment in our country's infrastructure is an investment in connectivity, which is vital for our people, our economy, and our place on the global stage. Learn more: http://bit.ly/1QLPK5L **

Authors:

About The Author

John Burgess Everett is a congressional reporter for POLITICO. He previously was a transportation reporter for POLITICO Pro, Web producer, helping run POLITICO’s Twitter and Facebook accounts, and a contributor to the On Media blog.

About The Author

Adam Snider is a transportation reporter for POLITICO Pro and author of Morning Transportation. He has covered transportation since 2007, joining POLITICO in 2011 to launch MT and later found the word “Mica-ism.”

Snider is a fan of all modes of transportation, though nothing beats a good silly walk. In his spare time, he can be found brewing a hoppy beer, rooting for the Nationals, watching a bad 1970s horror movie or exploring the District from his home base in Mount Pleasant.

Adam studied English and communications at Clemson University in South Carolina. His work has been featured by Nieman Journalism Lab and his snark has appeared on MSNBC. He has had several works of fiction published in literary journals and is constantly reminded of his proclamation to a fiction professor many years ago that journalism is for sellouts who abandon their creative dreams.